News

2013-10-24

AMERICA/COLOMBIA - Towards the Symposium on Theology India: the Church more present in different cultures

Bogota (Agenzia Fides) - To evaluate, discern and reflect on what aspects of indigenous cultures can be incorporated in the practices of the Catholic religion: this is the orientation that guides the preparation of the Fifth Symposium on Theology India, as reported in a note sent to Fides, the Bishop of San Cristóbal de Las Casas (Chiapas, Mexico) His Exc. Mgr. Felipe Arizmendi Esquivel, who is in charge of the Mexican Episcopal Conference for the indigenous pastoral.
In a communication sent to some media reports, the Archbishop speaks of the meeting that will take place in Bogota, Colombia, in May, 2014, sponsored by CELAM (Latin American Episcopal Council), where a group of consultants of the organism will discuss Theology India, "with the objective of deepening the doctrinal content of that theology, in order to clarify several aspects in the light of the Word of God". He then adds: "We Bishops are concerned that some despise and demonize indigenous cultures, without knowing them well; they even want everything to do with the indigenous world disappears from the social and ecclesiastical history".
Mgr. Arizmendi Esquivel stresses that "in these meetings one tries to make a judgment regarding the customs, rituals and indigenous myths", whilst recognizing "the necessity of the Catholic Church to be more present in different cultures, indigenous, mestizo and postmodern, as an expression of a new evangelizatio , and the constant urge to assist indigenous peoples". (CE) (Agenzia Fides 24/10/2013)